Personal digital assistants (PDA""s) are well known. These small, hand-held computer systems perform many of the functions that paper calendars and paper notepads used to provide, but PDAs add additional capabilities and functionality that notepads, notebooks, and calendars were unable to provide, including, but not limited to, instantaneous retrieval and display of stored information.
A PDA is typically comprised of a microprocessor or microcontroller (i.e., a small, processor that executes a program of stored instructions) coupled to a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen or display on which symbols, text or icons are displayed and, into which signals can be input and detected thereby providing a two way communications capability by which information can be stored in an retrieved from memory that is part of the personal digital assistant computer. By way of example, most PDA""s have electronic clocks and calendars by which a user can keep track of scheduled events or appointments, descriptions and/or dates or other information related to which, is entered into the PDA by means of character recognition software that reads signals that are input to the PDA through a pen or stylus contacting the screen or other touch sensitive input area of the PDA device. By an appropriate input signal to either a button, a soft key, or a particular key stroke entered into the PDA input screen, information that was previously entered or which might have been calculated by the microprocessor, can be retrieved for display by the user.
Information can also be downloaded into a PDA by way of a connection or coupling link between the PDA and a personal computer. Such a link is sometimes referred to as a Hot Sync(copyright) or xe2x80x9chot linkxe2x80x9d and might be realized by an infrared signals between the PC and PDA or a hard-wired connection. Information can be sent from a PDA into a PC using the same process. The process of loading data into a PDA or reading information from a PDA is frequently referred to as xe2x80x9chot linkingxe2x80x9d the PDA such that information in one machine is transferred into and synchronized with information in the other machine.
While PDA""s might be very useful to record user-specified or user-supplied information, computational capabilities of a PDA lends itself to providing even more functionality to these devices. Inasmuch as PDA""s are becoming more and more commonplace, they provide a mechanism by which additional functionality can be provided to users, which might provide even more tangible benefits than heretofore realized. Depending upon the nature of circuitry added to a PDA, still other uses might become commonplace. One use to which a PDA might be put is the display of information and data from third-parties, or the Internet. A method and apparatus by which a personal digital assistant might provide streaming information to a user might provide even more benefits than heretofore realized.
There is described a personal digital assistant comprised of a display and input interface device that displays in a limited region thereof, and analogous to a ticker tape-format display, a stream of information, preferably collected and supplied to the PDA user by third party service providers but also possibly provided by virtually any information source.
Such a personal digital assistant preferably includes a communication interface (e.g., a wireless link; infrared link to a P.C., or a direct connection) by which information-bearing signals are received from an information service provider for display on the PDA display device. Paid advertising can be inserted into the stream of information to be displayed.